“The Lugansk players played enough to win the game with Leicester”

Former Zorya coach Yuriy Koval commented on the Luhansk team’s victory over English Leicester (1: 0) on matchday five of the Europa League group stage.

“In the example of Zarya’s performance in the group round, he is once again convinced that it takes time to achieve a positive result. Especially when we consider that the football of Lugansk mentor Viktor Skrypnyk requires serious mental work on the part of the players. And of course, it’s a bit annoying that only at the end of the group stage did Zorya reach the level of understanding that her fans had been waiting for at the beginning of the season. However, the departure of Bogdan Mikhailichenko, Bogdan Lednev, Oleksandr Tymchik was not painless, and Zarya’s command mechanism was not immediately managed without interruptions with the new artists.

By the way, Zorya faced quite significant personnel losses in yesterday’s game against Leicester. The position in the center of the defense seemed especially vulnerable due to the absence of the disqualified Vitaly Vernidub, a hostile player, deftly acting on the “second floor” and aggressive in the selection. Viktor Skripnik entrusted this position to midfielder Dmitry Ivanisena, and he was right. The newly minted plug was one of the best on the field, not only reliably defending himself, but also having time to play together with his teammates. Unfortunately, even yesterday, Zorya was not flawless in her penalty area, but football does not go without mistakes, and don’t forget who opposed the Luhansk team, one of the strongest teams in the Premier League! Leicester pleasantly surprised us with a lot of hard work, so the three points earned by Zorya are worth a lot. Our guys, despite being an opponent, haven’t changed their style of play and I think they played enough to win.

And indeed, it is a pity that the balance in Zorya’s actions, when each player clearly knew his own maneuver, did not appear a month before. Not losing at home to AEK Luhansk, people might as well count on making the playoffs. However, this is also a valuable experience that will definitely come in handy. I hope that Zorya doesn’t stop there and try to get a third win in a row, over Braga. After all, not only important qualifying points are at stake, but also the opportunity to take revenge on the Portuguese for the defeat in Zaporozhye and significantly replenish the club cashier.

We remind you that Zorya ranked third in her group with six points.